Acknowledging that journalists and communicators can play an important role in informing public opinion, exposing exploitative practices in the fishing industry, promoting international labour standards, and inciting business actors towards responsible and sustainable practices, the ILO establishes partnerships with media practitioners to help them better report on these issues.

This factsheet is intended to support journalists and communicators interested in developing stories addressing decent work deficits in the commercial fishing industry and the broader value chain. It provides concrete guidance to support the production of informed reports and includes:

• testimonies from experienced journalists;
• practical recommendations;
• a glossary of key terms.

This factsheet aims to supplement the ILO toolkit for journalists: Reporting on forced labour and fair recruitment which provides general guidance for journalists and communicators to better report these critical issues; the ILO factsheet Forced labour in commercial fishing which includes general information about the industry and the specific challenges that fishers face; and the ILO handbook Towards freedom at sea: Handbook for the detection of forced labour in commercial fishing which consolidates guidance on the detection of forced labour among fishers.

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